Method of treating plants



Patented a. 9, 1923. 1,636,964.

UNITED s-r Ares PATENT emce.

WILLIAM EGGERT, or rmenrrwarnns, new Your.

m'n'rxon or 'rRnArIn-e rLAn'rs;

In Drawing. Application filed December 22; 1924. Serial No. 7571441.

For the purpose of obtaining an imimproved seeds, and is tobe a pliedtothe 55 proved seed from plants, I make use. of the la-nt at its rootsina basin-Elie formation blossoms, stems and adjacent leaves, and of thesoil around the stalkof theseedplant re are from them a," fluidsubstance to (basin about 3'- inches deep and about 10 5 which I shallhereafter refer as mothers inchesi'ndiameter). The application of the.milk. To this'fluid is added such product. mothers milk should be madeabout one so of a difierent variety of plant as may be Week before thefirst blossom of the plant suitable to cause a favorable change-in thebecomes openly developed; Informing the inclination of the plantstreated. The blosbasin at the plants roots the roots maybe soms, leavesand stems are placedi-n a crock somewhat" ex osed but must notbem&tIlfl-l- 01' barrel, weighted clown, covered with wa- 1yijnj-ured.heabsorption. may be fa'ciliter and kept in a temperature favorable fortated by thrusting a slender stick down fermentation. After five days.of the first through. the deposited fluid into the soil bestage ofalcoholic fermentation the contents. low for about six. inches in Severl dir C-' 15v of the barrel-or crock should be ma'cerated tions.v Whenthe mothers; milk preparation and permitted to ferment for a secondpehas been; absorbed-by soil; about the plant"; riod 0t five to tendays" through the put-rethe SOi-l used: as a Wall'to form: the basin ist'active fermentation stage, attheend of brushedlinto the basin,leaving'the surface which period. the mass is pressed and abouttheplant, thesame as it was'before.

2o strained, the resultant fluid, being a 'putre- Should theplantthus-treatedbe slow in gofied liquid extract which I have referred toing through theblossomingi n tf rmwas mothers ilk, To thi fluid iddedtion-periods,or-should there be art-unusualsuch vegetable materialas maybe edema-1y heavy rainfall, it maybe ofbenefi-tto. reto induce theplant to which it is to be ap p h applicati n about two or. three 25plied as tonic to take it into. its system by" weeks after-thefirsttreatment ;.i,hut; OIZCliabsorption through, the roots. 1X suitablenarilyone application,- lias sufiicient infiuvegetabl' material ofanother variety of nce-for onem nthsfurther 'progress of the plant maybeadded to the materials used in p a Seed-S M0 0 fllfldvanced that notermentatioh but where such added matefurther treatment is necessary:Until the next rial is not freely soluble inwater it is nec- .growthfrom these seeds is to be treated in: essary to boil the additionalmaterial in a he Same manner.

"mixture of Water and ashes obtained from From'seedsofthe second year streatment the variety of plant, intended tobe fed for of theseedi-prodi1c1ng plants" a: small expertthe purpose of: producingimproved seeds mental crop.maybegrown todetermi'ne how 7 35 with firmerinclinations of desired. descripmuch the, product. has been improved andtion. The proportion of ashes and vegetato decide how extensively totreat forthe g bl'e product tobe added should be about one third:growth: ofiseeds'to be used for growpound of ashes and about one poundof the i'ng of crops. If experimental crops of the selected vegetable.product to one gallon-Hot second years seed show marked improve- 9Water; all to be boiled together for about ment, it would" be advisableto grow more one-half hour; then strained through-every seed inthe thirdyears treatment thaw loose-cloth or coarse sieve, sot-hat' the ashes.wouldbe required. for one seasonsplantin r, ay m n in h fl id- 'TbB reultant 01 making it unnecessary to-further treat. medderivative of thisboiling step is. to be added plahtsfbrzayeain or series of. years;buttoth fmothers milk after the latter is enit results are-good; itwouldbe' advisable to tirely through the fermentingprocess at the.continuethe treatment of seed-plants; 1 .rate of one gallon of ashessolution-"to-four. By this method of treating plants I have gallons ofthe mother s milk;

I 7 I secured finer qualities, greater uniformity, There should alsobeaddedto the mothgreater resistanceto disease and, attacks. by-

50 'e milk p pa a on about onepound of! insects, increased "ester andacid contents molasses, honey or sugar (maple in 50111.6or'ester-forming material greater strength, cases) to each gallon of themothers milk and a far greater control over inclinations preparation,which is to be used at. a. rate tol' vary than Were obtained throughyears of about onequart: toeach planttreated for of hybridizing andcross-"breeding;

tains. and includes" many times as much;

honey or saccharine as would trickle to its roots when the blossoms aretilled With rain to overflowing. I

Suitable or \vorlcrible proportions are: 'to' live igi atlons of themothcrs milk; add five pounds of sugartmaple preferred) or honey ormolasses; 1a,,- one to two pounds oi" ashes of the variety o'tfpl'ant tobe treated are boiledft'or one-halt hour in one gallon of Watenaddingsuch substances of vegetable origin as vanay; be adapted, to induce theplant toiiiclude new flavors in completing its produdtio ns. Thespecialadditions are; for tobacco gu n benzoin, to secure tiner aroma"and toreduce the sting andbittorness-of tobacco; for cotton. fresh 'sassafrasleaves induce insect-repelling proper-- ,ties, ,and, ,the niucilaginousnature of the leaves promotes finer fibre production; for cauliflower,fresh; asparagus stalks are added to introduce finer .tlavor, moreregular heading or fionzer-ingqand to promote seed productions v I q Inthesp ecifiotreatrnent of tobacco plants,

.llapreparo a put'refied liquidextract from blossommand' tops-0t tobaccoplants ofthe same var ety I ,then nix with water, some pulverized.,-gu1ai .benzoinand ashes. of the tobacco plant The proportions may beoneq'uarter pound gum benaoin, two pounds of ashes, in-one gallon of.Water, these havving beenfound,practical. Boil this mixture an hour, tocause the gum bcnzoin to unite fora suitable length of time, sayone-half with the ashes to form benzoate of soda or benzoate of -potash.This resultant is then mixed with the :previo iisly mentioned putreliedliquid e1 tract,-a-t the same time adding saccharine .inatter. The.tobacco plants treated ivith this tonic during their blossom- .nigperiods for three. successive generations vhave developed new and firmtendencies for ca mildcrand morefragrant product and other:characteristicsasv above pointed out.

T he, volume of material of the mothers milk thus obtained would, be sixgallons; a

quantity sutli-cient to apply to the roots of twentyrfour plantsintended for-seed pro-- I ductions.' 1

The p lirase products of v tobacco plants as usedhereln, means leavesand seeds of the plants.

ine gfully described the "mallet-i and means tor securing new andvaluable imiproveinentsin quality of the plant s prod-.

note, it requested that protection of Letters- Rat'ent be granted onclaims as' follows:}

1. The method of treating seedpr-oducing plants to improve their qualityand tendenplants consisting in supplying to the roots ot the plant atits blossoming time a putretied liquid extract of the same variety ofplant as that bcingircatcd, with gum ben- 'zoin in solution andrepeating the treatment in successive years to plants grown tromtheimproved seeds produced in the previous years.

The method of treating seed-producing plants consisting in supplying tothe roots otthe plant at its'blossoming time a mixture of a putrefiedliquid extract of the kind of plant being treated and ashes of the samekind of plant, said mixture including aderivativ"e' 0t guin benzoimandrepeating the treatment in successive years to lants grow-n from theill'lPlOVCtl seeds pro need in the "'previousyear.

4; Steps in the method o'f'treating seedproducing "tobacco plants,consisting in preparing a fermentedsolution of leaves and petals ot thesame variety oftobacco wlth maple sugar in solution, and adding theretobenzoate of soda or potash.

5; Thejmethod oftreating seed-producing plants'to improve the qualityand tendencies of their products, Which'co'nsists in supplying to'theroots of the plants attheir blossoming time a" fermented solution ofleaves Land petals ot the same variety of plant, said solutioncontaining a sweetening ingredient and a fiavo'ring dnaterial partly ofvegetable origin.

I 6 The method of treating seed-producing plants'to improve the'qualityand tendencies of their "products, Which-consists in supplying to theroots of the'plants at their blossoming time a putrefied liquid extractof the same varietyof plantas that being treated, Said extract-includinga flavoring material partly of vegetabl'eorigin, and repeating thetre'atmen'tin successive years to plants grown from the improved seedsproduced in the previousyears. Z The method of treating seed-producingplants to improve the quality and tendencies otfth'eir products, which.consists in supplying to" the roots of the plants at their blossoining"time a mixture of a putreti'ed liquid extract of the kind of plant beingtreated and ashes of avegetable origin, and a flavoring materialof'veg'etal'ile' origin and repeat= ing the, treatment in successiveyearsto ill) petals of the same variety of tobacco with a sweeteningingredient in solution, and adding thereto a derivative of gum benzoin.

9. In'iproved products of tobacco plants which have been treated with aderivative of gum benzoin. the products. namely, leaves and seeds beingcharacterized by a eonstitutional change as (ffilll mlttl with productsof the original untreated tobacco plants. said improved products beingmore aromatic. sturdier, more capable of resisting disease, and lessbitter than those of the original plants.

10. Improved products of tobacco plants which. have been treated with aputrefied liquid extract of the samevariety of plant, -arr vin aderivative of gum benzoin, the products. namely. leaves and seeds beingcharacterized by a constitutional change as compared with products ofthe original untreated iobacco plants, said change resulting in productswhich are more aromatic sturdier. more capable of resisting disease, andless bitter than those of the original plants.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State of NewYork, this 20th day of December, A. D. 1924.

VILLIAM EGGERT, JUNIOR.

